Another forum type of group
Run by Landmark woman who has gone out on her own

She advertises that she is a therapist and she is not
Has no credentials - not even a college grad
Is this legal ?
Who might I report her to ?

I don't know about the legislation in other countries, states or provinces, but in Quebec where I live, it's perfectly legal. Anybody can declare himself/herself a psychotherapist, and open a consulting office. A a private practitionner, you can propose any type of cure to your patient, from esoterism to plain nothing. There was a report on TV last year, and if you can read french, you migth find it enligthening.

see:

[www.radio-canada.ca]

According to this report, 4 psychotherapists out of 5 where blantanlty incompetant in diagnosing a major depression (with suicidal intents) in a patient. Some were simply not listening, a another one whould propose "reiki" (touching her with his hands !?), another a simple breating exercise, and only one said she should see a psychiatrist and take medication. The report concludes that it's a dangerous business and invites the public to be careful or avoid completely.

Sometime I feel "I'd like to change the world ... but I don't know what to do ... so I leave it up to you ..." just like the old song !!!

I forgot to mention that one. That story is about a "psychotherapist" who got her training from Landmark Education and she started her own series of seminars in Montreal (very similar to what you describe above). She was selling something similar to the LEC doctrine under another name (centre Plein Potentiel en Action) and offering "diplomas" to people to become a coach like herself, but no one ever got any diploma. They had to take a never ending series of lectures, seminars, courses, ect ... and pay, pay, pay (up to $60 000 in some cases) to end up by her saying that "they don't qualify" for the diploma.

Again, this was on TV
See the program below listed on

[www.math.mcgill.ca]

le 1 mars 2005 à 19 h 30
Radio Canada - La Facture Centre Plein Potentiel en Action
Vous pouvez voir cette émission présentée à La Facture sur PPA aux sites suivants:
Les « facilitateurs de santé »
Des « facilitateurs » investissent


Anyway she was taken to court and found guilty of fraud by 9 victims. Her husband was also profiting from the situation by invinting his wife's seminar attendees to invest their money in his investment scheme, and people lost everything.

What is ironic, is that LEC will probably sue them as well since it is forbidden to any LEC graduate to sell LEC techniques for their own profit. If you think that the psychotherapist is selling LEC techniques, you can simply give her name to LEC and they will take care of it.

Michael D.

In NJ and probably NY and other states, anyone can hang out a shingle and give counselling. It would be illegal if this woman claimed to have credentials that she did not have.

You might want to point out her lack of credentials in a warning posted on Craigslist.

A few weeks back, I posted here and another place about two "therapists' in NYC who started Cuddle Parties. One of the two is a Landmark grad. The website language oozed Landmark language.

i am very certain that "therapists" are licenesed by each state. i have friends who are therapists; in CA, at least, they have to get an M.A. in psychology, then do a large amount of hours of therapy as an intern, working under someone else's license (and being trained, guided, observed, etc.) THEN, they have to pass two separate and pretty difficult tests, in order to obtain their offical "license" -- which allows them to practice for a social service office, hospital, school...or a private practice. it's a fairly lengthy and intenive process. however -- i guess you could call yourself a "therapist" -- as opposed to a "licensed therapist, with a specialization in marriage and family counseling" -- just an example. i just looked at my own therapist's business card. it reads: M.A. in family counseling and has her MFT license number on the card. i'd be very wary of someone who just says "therapist." heck -- massage "therapists" could say they are therapists. rule of thumb when assessing a therapist these days, in the world of life coaches, and other things people invent to sound like actual therapists -- the only accredited therapist is one licensed by your state. ask for his/her license number if it feels hazy and uncertain.

Yes - there are therapists that are licensed by the state, who have done all the standard training and testing and internships, there is no doubt about that. However, any one can call themselves a specialist in some kind of invented therapy, for which there is no license or monitoring. These Landmark grads seem to think they have reinvented the wheel and use psychology language that sounds familiar, yet their practice is not anywhere near that of conventional methods. These types can also claim that nothing in therapy is scientific because its all about thoughts and perceptions.

It is legal for a person to say they can provide different methods to assist in transformation and healing. They cannot say they are a licensed therapist if they are not. If they are vague with their credentials and training, that should be a red flag. As I've learned the hard way, even when they give names of schools and degrees, it does not mean they did the work.